12' custom based on the Skookum Steelheader II with frame improvements around the anchor. Built for another WFF member who needed something bigger in which to guide, purchased by me who was looking for a turn-key solution. Win-win.

Mumbles, I have a 2-person Outcast PAC 1200 and my fiancé has a 3-person Scadden/North Fork Makenzie Drifter. (However, it is really the same as Scadden’s 2-person boat but with seating for 3 at the expense of cargo space)

Here is what I like/dislike about each:

Tubes:

Outcast: Their welded tubes with urethane bladders are pretty bomber and easily field repairable. My Outcast tubes are really Aire tubes and Aire/Outcast has exceptional customer service and a great warranty. Some people prefer bladderless tubes but I personally like bladders.

Scadden: Dave’s tubes are now glued (as opposed to welded) so don’t expect them to last as long; some say plan about a 5 year lifespan for cheap Asian glued tubes. The construction details were shoddy with hardened glue seepage on the tubes, crooked seams, etc. Read other posts about his service level…

Frame:

Outcast: My boat is an old one so they were still figuring out the frame. I like the front lean bar on mine and the current version as it is open in the center. The in-between version had a center post which made entering/exiting more difficult. The current version has a cargo deck that sits on top of the tubes. My old one has a deck that sits down between the tubes and I prefer this as it lowers the center of gravity. A high deck is easier for the mfg. to make as they don’t need to make a raised anchor bracket. My old deck was kind of small so I got a bigger one even though it meant sacrificing the raised anchor bracket. I find I rarely used the anchor so a lowered deck is no big deal. The powder coating has held up well as have the welds. Structurally, it is just a big pontoon frame which ok for what I do. However, I have an NRS cat frame I can put on it if I want to do whitewater. The current frame is wider than mine which is a plus; wide is good.

Scadden: The frame feels narrow though I haven’t measured it. For the length, it just feels like it should be wider. The claim-to-fame on these boats is the sliding standing platform and flip-down lean bar. I think this would be awesome for a one-person boat but they make way less sense on a 2-3 person boat, and in fact, can actually be dangerous. One would rarely be running a river while standing and casting if they are in a 1-person boat so the fact that it lean bar and platform move is no big deal. However, with one person rowing while the other one fishes, the moving parts almost guarantee the fisher is going for a swim in all but the mildest water. Everytime I needed to hold the lean bar for support, it just flipped backwards (like it’s supposed to) and if I was lucky, I landed on my butt on the seat. Leaning hard into the bar sometimes caused the platform to move. We very quickly used cam straps to secure the lean bar and the sliding platform on the first and third seats. Later, we discovered Scadden sells pins that one can install by drilling holes in the frame to secure the lean bar on the multi-person boats; I like the cam straps better than drilling. For the rower, however, the sliding platform is great. I hate fixed rower’s floors as I like to get down to move the boat over gravel bars, off rocks, etc. The rower can keep the platform retracted when they need to jump down then slide it out for scouting, assisting the bow passenger, etc. I'd like to add one to my Outcast. The cargo deck sits on top of the tubes which I don’t like as it raises the center of gravity. On the 3 person boat, it really is stupid as it sits back so far it is up on the curved part of the tubes rather than the flat part so it is at an angle. (It is clear the 3 person boat was a quick and dirty modification of the 2-person boat rather than a separate well-thought-out design). The powder coating hasn’t held up as well as on my Outcast boats (I have a single too and have had others)

Oars and accessories:

Outcast: Mine came with standard 8’ Carlisle rafting oars. They are perfectly functional but I eventually replaced them with carbon Cataracts with floating blades. The oarlocks were standard duty and have held up well. The pockets have held up well and I got an after-market storage bag but I keep the boat inflated so I don’t use it. It came with a really nice repair kit in a waterproof box that had room to add extra stuff.

Scadden: It came with strange little short oars that looked like they belonged on 7’ pontoon. They were replaced after the first trip. The boat came with a pretty decent striping apron but I find it sags too much and have thought about installing small rods into the lean bar to keep it taut. The storage pockets are good but the repair stuff was minimal. It came with pads for the lean bars and I like these.

Bottom line for me, I’d get a PAC1200 again over the Makenzie or even the FishCat. I have 3 other older Scadden boats that I love but I just think the PAC 1200 is a better double boat. Come to think of it, the other Scadden boats/tubes I like were made for him by Aire…

Here's my home assembled 2/1man. It uses older 12 foot maxxon tubes. I like
the newer less rocker ones but not enough to buy a new set. I has textured
marine plywood floors in front an behind the rower seat and one in the front station.
It anchors poorly which could be solved by moving the anchor further back behind
the water contact point of the tubes but I haven't work on that one yet.
Fairly heavy but stable and I would not have a concern taking it down up to class 4
rapids (maybe not with me on the sticks). I bit heavy for lakes but it spends
time there as well. Another thing I would add would be a way to add my front
lean bar to the single configuration(front lean bar not in picture).

Maybe I should just get a second set of tubes. My fishcat panther has the side by side dual pontoons that are cataraft like (turned up fore and aft but not really rockered) that are 9' long. I could get a second set of tubes if I could find some affordable ones, maybe 11 or 12 feet. Then I could build or have a modular frame built to add a second person up front. Do the modular frames connect or are the modules independantly strapped down to the tubes?

Thanks all, keep the photos and ideas coming, my kids want to spend more time with me on the water!

Mine are separate pieces that are both strapped to the tubes.
I don't know how strong the fishcat frame is or if it would be proportioned
properly for 20 to 24 in tubes. It would be fine in lakes but in moving
water I want the frame to be strong enough that I don't have to worry
about it in some white water.

I bought the Creek Company ODC 1220 (I don't think they make it any longer) long before finding this website, where Creek company gets slammed. That being said, it's a fine craft for my purposes. I've crafted my own rod holders, put a compass on the back of the front seat, splash proofed the netted storage comparment and elevated the rowers platform. No bottom for the rower, so if you drop a fly or piece of gear it's gone. Works very well for my purposes (Yakima), especially on the skinny water with obstructions above Cle elum. I don't consider it a white water craft, but it's fine on the Yakima and would be fine on any of the rivers I fish in MT. Fits in the back of my truck inflated, so no take down during the days I'm in town fishing and no trailer required.

That is a pretty cool looking setup, noting first and foremost the beer in the cup holder in photo number three. The netted storage area is behind the fishing seat and in front of the rower's seat? Is this something you row and fin kick or just row?

I'm not looking for anything to shoot the rapids or falls. I just want to fish and would like to be able to take someone else along. I've seen the OCD 1220's listed on a few sites. Do you know the weight capacity? Is the front lean bar one that stays up or does it fold down? It is hard to tell in the nighttime photo of it loaded in your truck. I like what I can see of the pvc rod tubes and the front caster's fighting butt donut with magnet to hold the rod in place. Nice touch. I guess that part of the frame is steel, is the whole thing steel? My current frame is aluminum, some would say too weak, but so far it has done well. I've yet to bounce and bash it off any significant rock formations. Thanks for sharing. Lots of food for thought in those photos!

I guess I should thank you for not noticing the truck nuts in the fourth picture. The mesh storage net is indeed behind the front seat. Waves splash up from below and get things wet, so I inserted modified plastic containers (tops are open) so my fly boxes don't get soaked. The side storage bags are waterproof. I haven't used fins, but I imagine one could (particularly if I hadn't elevated the rower's seat). The front brace does not fold down (I take it off when loading on the truck). The tubing portion of the frame and front/back decks are aluminum.

I Googled a review which I think is pretty fair http://www.flyfishinginmaine.com/reviews/creekboat.php I have to agree with the stripping basket complaint. If you miss it, your line gets tangled on all sorts of crap from that front position. Since I'm now a "salty" I'd use my plastic stripping basket instead of the supplied soft one for line management.